Working Your Wood with McGinty

One of my good friends is having a baby (essentially a zero sperm count is not the same as a zero sperm count) and I asked if I could build something for the new baby. This is the same one I asked about a scotch recommendation for, and thanks to all that replied. Ended up with Macallan 18 year. Anyway, they asked for a changing table so I did some research into a design and came up with a 3 drawer dresser topped with a tray that holds a changing mat and sections for diapers, wipes, ointments, and anything else they may need to grab. Off to the lumber dealer I went for some slabs of poplar:

Lumber from a lumber yard typically isn’t in your standard 2×4 or 1×8 format. It’s sold in board feet, where 1 board foot is 12 inches by 12 inches for a 1 inch thick board. The thickness (or thicc-ness if you prefer) is measured in quarters, so a 1 inch thick board is 4 quarters, 2 inches is 8 quarters, and so on. So now you have to do some math (math is hard!) and figure out how much board-feet you need. The boards pictured are sanded and trimmed so that they are 13/16ths thick and about 10 to 11 inches wide. Knowing this I figured I would need about 50 board feet.The lingo would be “I need 50 board feet of 4 quarter poplar in 8 foot lengths.” Basically a dime bag.

Step one is to cut up the boards into widths I needed for the frame. Then a few passes through the planer to get it to 3/4ths of an inch. I check with a caliper and can get it close, and I think I planed the boards to 0.745 inches. I didn’t want to use screws so I cut a bunch of tenons and figured out where I needed a corresponding mortise. Don’t get me wrong I don’t have a problem with screws, and love a good screw as much as the next guy. Something like a 4 inch cabinet screw for example will really hold. But I thought mortise, tenons, and glue would hold it just fine. Here is the frame and one of the side panels:

Then I added the other panel and frames and glued everything together:

The sides are recessed panels, and the spaces for the 3 drawers are 8 inches tall – enough for a good 7 inches of drawer depth.

The top was made with 5 to 6 inch wide boards with tongue and groove joinery, because every groove deserves a nice fitting tongue. It shouldn’t be too tight or too loose, it should just slide right in. Here it is being glued with the frame in progress:

The top for the changing mat was the most difficult to figure out since it was all dadoes, rabbets, and glue:

Everything needed to be precise and when I dry fit the pieces it went together great:

But something happened when I put the clamps on it and when the glue dried it ended up with little bit of a warp to it. Not enough to make me want to redo it, but it’s close.The next step was to make some trim for the base that coordinated with the panel sides. I made a jig that would allow me to make repeatable cut outs with a router, and I used a ½ inch dado bit set to a ⅛ inch depth. Basically just the tip. They came out really well and only needed a little bit of sanding and some squaring of the corners with a chisel:

The next step was to make the drawers taking into account the thickness of the drawer slides. I used a bunch of 3/4 inch plywood scraps I had lying around and used a type of locking rabbet joint to hold everything together:

Somewhere through the course of time ¾ inch plywood stopped becoming ¾ inch plywood and became 0.7 inches thick. This ended up making the drawer box a smidge short. Basically, I cut the depth of the groove at ⅜ inch when I should have made sure the remainder of the groove was ⅜ inch and the groove depth was more like 0.32 inches in depth. What sucked is that the process of cutting the rabbetts was one of those “1 hour of setup, 5 minutes of cutting” jobs with the table saw. Rookie mistake and I used some flat washers to shim the drawer slides out a bit.

Since the plywood edge would show I glued a thin strip of wood on it so it would look nice. They make these long rolls of thin veneer strips with glue on one side that you just iron on. I used a chisel to cut the ends at 45 degree angles so it looks like the box was made with mitered corners:

A note on chisel sharpening – sharpen your chisel as often as you can. If you can get someone else to sharpen your chisel that’s fine too. Maybe on days when you’re home with nothing to do, whip it out and give it a good sharpening. It only takes a few minutes and you’ll be really glad you did when you’re finished. Don’t rush the job either, just nice, slow strokes.After some sanding and trimming of pieces that were a little too proud (proud is woodwork-ese for “sticks out too much”) it was time to spray the first of two coats of primer. I use a shellac base primer that you can spray right out of the can – no thinning needed. I also use a cheap Harbor Freight HVLP sprayer for everything. The 1.4mm tip leaves a smooth finish and it only costs $15. I have used siphon feed and pressure feed guns but I felt the finish wasn’t as good. If the Harbor Freight gun ever craps out I will just buy a new one, but I clean mine in between uses and it’s worked great for a few years now. The first coat will often lift the grain and create a rough feel to the surface so I give it a little rubbing with some 200 grit sandpaper. Just a little rubbing as you don’t want to take off what you just put on. Just enough to leave a smooth surface. Here is the final result:

The frame and drawers are a cream color and the blue color is hopefully a cheese eating surrender monkey, I mean French Country tone. I’m not good with colors, but this is pretty close to what I envisioned the final product to look like. Time to go work some more of my wood.

About 4 weeks off and on. Couple of hours here and there during the week and full days on the weekends. If I did it straight from start to finish probably a week and a half. But with all of the setup it’s one of those things where I could build ten in three weeks.

Thanks SP! This was my first piece with drawers. If I built it again I would do a few things differently, but my friend sent me a picture of it sitting next to the crib and it looks like it should work out great for them.

Looks nice, shocking to think you needed 50 board feet, but I’m used to using cheap-ass plywood and once you figure 8×4 a couple times I guess it makes sense, even for a small project you’d need a lot.

Nice post but I think you probably left off a few definitions that will have left people questioning.

I think I linked the right one. There are a few guys online that show how to make these. This kid is great. I tried to learn to dovetail with hand tools. My hands aren’t what they used to be. Table saw is better. If you master a table saw you can build a freakin’ space shuttle with one.

The purge of the right on social media was once a slow trickle, with high-profile bans happening only occasionally, and then subsiding. With just three months until the midterm elections, the Masters of the Universe in Silicon Valley have turned online censorship into a cascade.”

Yeah, this is where people need to put their money where their collective mouth is and patronize the alternatives or start some up themselves. You can’t complain about freedom of association and then get mad when a private company kicks you out. It’s like the people who complained about Barnes and Noble killing corner bookstores in the day who never set foot in a small business. The alternatives exist, but they don’t magically turn into a YouTube market share overnight. You’ve got to actually go and frequent them.

I think part of it is their user agreements. If they started out by saying, we can kick you off for any bullshit reason, including but not limited to simply disagreeing with you, perhaps they wouldn’t have got so big in the first place.

The thing is now there are all these people, including politicians and legacy media, screaming that these social media giants let Trump win. So they need to do something. They feel justified in their demands partly because these companies received a bunch of government benefits and favors from politicians. And legacy media contributed much of the content on their platforms.

Ashton Whitty was detailing some of the kickbacks and collusion right before her Twitter got shut down.

It’s not that they are refusing to sell you soup. They are claiming to serve you soup (an open platform) but instead serving you piss (censored bullshit). Free speech isn’t just a right to speak, it’s a right to listen.

They are plenty of people who have been banned for life from Twitter for awfully flimsy, dubious, and obviously selective, reasons. What would it take for someone to get banned from McDonald’s or Walmart for life?

Plywood dimensions are a constant hassle. Since most (all?) cabinet plywood is made in metric countries, maybe it’s supposed to be an even number of millimeters. Or it’s just manufacturing variation from lot to lot. Or if it’s Chinese plywood, variation from one end of the sheet to the other.

I made a changing table for my nephew and his wife, when they unexpectedly quit the No Babies Club. I used quartersawn red oak, because I already had materials on hand, and did open shelves instead of drawers. I made it 36″ tall, which is taller than typical for a changing table, and my nephew said it works out really well, he doesn’t have to hunch over the table when they’re working.

A long time ago I attended a lecture on joinery. I don’t remember all the details because it was a long time ago, but I remember the guy giving the talk segued briefly into talking about humidity causing warping on table-tops if you don’t put the boards together right. Any concerns about that here?

I have two Lee-Enfields with loose butt-stocks. Well, they’re loose during the winter. In the summer the wood swells from the humidity and they aren’t loose anymore.

English Walnut for British made Lee-Enfields from the start until after the Second World War. I forget the date of changeover. After the changeover, either beech or birch until the end of production. I don’t remember the variety.

US and Canadian made Lee-Enfields are usually Black Walnut, though I think some used English Walnut.

Aussie and Indian made Lee-Enfields used imported English Walnut when possible, local hardwoods when not. India used Mahogany and other local hardwoods during the World Wars (I can’t remember the others). The Aussie used Queensland Maple and Coachwood when they couldn’t get English Walnut during the World Wars and I think a few other times, but neither are well suited to gun stocks as they tend to split. The Aussies picked the best they had available. Once they discovered the splitting problem, they usually fitted the stocks with brass plates to help absorb recoil and prevent splitting.

I don’t know anything about what woods Nepali or Pakistani manufacturers used.

The above are woods as originally manufactured. Rifles that went through Factory Repair (either marked FTR or FR) or later conversions to newer patterns of Lee-Enfields might be fitted with replacement stocks using whatever wood the factory used at that time.

One more note about Lee-Enfield stocks: Sometimes when the manufacturers weren’t using English Walnut, they would die or color the stock to look like English Walnut. Since they were almost always using woods other then English Walnut as a wartime expedient, dying stocks was something wasn’t done for very long.

Both are English manufacture. One is 1901 dated and is definitely English Walnut. There are no markings indicating factory repair or conversion. The other is Second World War production that, post war, went through FTR (Factory Repair) and conversion from the No. 4 Mk I standard to the No 4 Mk II standard. I don’t know what wood this rifle has, but I think it is the original English Walnut stock.

Loose butt stocks plagued Lee-Metfords and Lee-Enfields throughout their whole service life. The British tried all sorts of solutions to get the butt stocks to stay steady.

There was a reason for the two piece stock. It allowed a unit armorer to more easily adjust a rifle’s length of pull for a soldier. However, I’m not certain the benefits outweighed the problems. I’m reminded of Jeff Cooper on the Lee-Enfeild’s cock on close mechanism: “A solution in search of a problem.”

You can get warping depending on the layout of the grain patterns, but also if the table top is screwed directly to the base. In the latter case, the wood can’t expand sideways, causing stress and probable warping and fracture. There are multiple preferred methods of attachment.

I’ve read a few of his things. I enjoy Roy Underhill on the Woodwrights Shop, Clint Harps new show somewhat (wish he went into more detail but that’s not what most viewers want to see), the Samurai Carpenter, and if course Norm Abram.

I did the whole write up on my phone, pictures included. I was worried it wouldn’t be easy to submit but I believe it went through okay.

I enjoy wood working. I have a modest amount of tools in my shop, but my greatest asset is access to a saw mill. My dad has a timberking 1220 portable sawmill. Over the years I sawed up tons and tons of cedar, oak, pecan, walnut, cherry, and maple. It’s stored and dried and ready for use. I’ve built cedar chests, oak tables, cedar and maple coffins, a cherry chest of drawers, a walnut craft table for my wife, cedar shelves for my house, a pecan mantle, and many other things. I wish I had more time to do that kind of thing.

Your work is very nice I.B. i appreciate the skill, and probably more important, patience that goes into making things look nice.

I hear there are some really big ones near the Whitehouse in DC. OK, I know there are, I saw them. And damaging public property is all the rage right now, it could make you a hero now that a literal Nazi is in the whitehouse. Get the chainsaw out, what are you even waiting for?

I built a pullout cutting board for my grandparents kitchen. It was made from alternating 1inch wide strips of pecan, walnut, and maple, that were doweled and biscuited together. It was not difficult to work with, but what I was doing was pretty simple –
Plane, cut to length, rip to with, join, and then dowel, biscuit, glue, and clamp.

Once I found out portable sawmills existed I wanted one. What is the price tag for something like that? Do you need a huge shed to dry the wood? How dangerous are they? I think the market here is underserved and I could help people mill up some wood instead of wasting it. Thoughts? So excited to do something like that. I don’t even know what I need to know.

Thays what dad has. It’s around 7500 bucks or so. You can spend much much more if you want something more automated. This one is pretty bare bones.

When dad bought it neither he nor any of his sons knew anything about milling wood. What we found is that it’s hard work, but not technically difficult. Having a level track is probably the most important thing. Other than that, being able to get the centers at the same height on either end of log and being able to figure out what each log will saw into is not difficult to do.

You need a shed that is exactly toy the right size to fit the amount of wood you plan on drying.

It’s exactly as safe as you are. Stay away from the business end of the blade and dont roll logs over on yourself and you should be fine. Also wear safety glasses because saw dust sucks in you eyes.

I am absolutely amazed at the skill and creativity of you, McGinty. Are these things learned or trial/error? Somewhere along the way you have had a great teacher with lots of patience. I had wood shop in school and my step up book shelf wobbled from the first day. I doubt if my mother could keep the alarm clock on it. My cribbage board was short a couple holes. Artists see things differently than those of us with no imagination.

I use a chain saw to cut firewood, if it’ll go in the stove its perfect. Maybe not stack well because of the varying lengths but its all my talents allow.

Thanks Fourscore! It’s definitely been trial and error. Lots of planning and sketches too. I never took wood shop in high school and just recently started this hobby. I think I started with simple projects that involved mostly square cuts so that was a real confidence booster.

My creative friends see things totally different than I do. They can take throw away stuff and make art projects. For example 1 friend used old fuel oil tanks and made cows out of them. To me they were rusty old scrap storage tanks. I see things literally as opposed to folks like you that see a dresser hidden in that wood. You are able to find those things that I can’t imagine.

I remember reading that Michelangelo said he didn’t create the statue of David, he only let him out or words to that affect. Keep up the articles and good work, I’ll sharpen my chain saw and do what I can do.

“Trump was a slut, in other words, and the Dems are shaming him. They didn’t bat an eye at male infidelity in their own ranks. Hush money and cover-ups and (especially) sluttishness are fine—on their side. And they are making much of Trump’s alleged pay-offs because they hope it will persuade enough pearl-clutchers in the Republican Party to run for the fainting couches in the Senate cloakroom, explain “oh my stars, anything but sex,” and vote to impeach regardless of political will.

Well, sorry, but with the exception of a few sad relics like David French and Ross Douthat, the people running for the fainting couches when it comes to sex these days are on the Left: the college Tumblristas who think vague squinted eye contact is a form of rape; their professors who cover up for each other when male students are sexually assaulted, but try to crucify male students who are falsely accused; and the entitled vampiric Hollywood royalty who shriek #MeToo about advances from producers even as they rape little boys, pay them off, and then blame their dead lovers when called on it.

The rest of us healthy adults have internalized the view that man is fallen, and wealthy and powerful men tend to fall more than most, but this does not preclude them from being good leaders when history calls on them. As the libertarian pundit Cassandra Fairbanks put it on Twitter: “Bill Clinton is a rapist. Trump had consensual sex with babes.””

Interesting – Mark Levin earlier : If they accuse Trump of a crime by paying off Stormy with his own personal money, what about all of the congress critters that have used congressional slush fund (taxpayer money) to pay NDAs over sexual harassment? Will they all be charged as well?
The swamp is about to shoot itself in the dick.

Always envious of an accomplished woodworker. Great article, great piece. I just got Roy Underhills first book which starts, find a nice oak tree and chop it down…I love wood and trees and have always been scared to dive into woodworking because what the hell do i know… maybe enough to get me over the hump and try and make a few simple things.

I’m certainly not accomplished but have just improved my skills over time. I did a lot of refinishing of pieces from Goodwill so I saw how things were made. I think that helped me figure this project out.

That changing table/dresser will be in the background of family pictures for years to come. When they are looking at those pictures together when the baby grows up, your friend will point and say, “I B made that.” It’s always nice to have little stories to hold a family together.

Great work, I.B. I’m typing this response from a desk my dad and I made out of cherry about ten years ago. My mortise and tenon work is still rather iffy, so I tend to rely on pocket screws for most of my joinery needs. I’d love to buy a place with a barn I can turn into a workshop to hone my middling skills.

I have made a few things (this one included) where after I was finished I felt the tenons could have been a little bigger or longer. I bought a mortise machine and that has made near perfect mortises, but even that takes some practice.

Cohen is alleging that Trump paid the gold diggers off for the “principle” reason of influencing the opinion. Questions: Has he paid of chicks in the past when he wasn’t running for office? If so, wouldn’t that indicate that paying hush money is a regular thing for this guy? Is I B McGinty your real name? Is that your real picture?

Shit. Trump has been doing that for forty years and everyone knew it. No one cares. Even if it was for the campaign he used his own personal money – not a crime.
This whole thing is horseshit.
I wonder what these fuckers think will happen if they manage to pull of a coup? Things will just go back to the way it was? They dont understand that Trump was elected because the corrupt, incompetent so called elite had jack shit left for credibility. Are they really willing to completely piss away the legitimacy of this government? Burn the world so they can be king of ashes? It is incredible to me.

I just think that democrats have pretty much given up on winning elections and have decided that it’s their time in history and that they’re going to rule, no matter what. I saw this coming all during the Obama years. If the plebes cannot elect them, then either the plebes are too stupid for their own good or Russians, take your pick. No matter. The next democrat to win the presidency will absolutely refuse to leave office under the claim that if they do, we could elect another Trumputinhitler or worse. I really do not see how anyone seeing what is going on now, can refuse to believe this. This is very dangerous stuff.

Look at all this… working with wood like tree murderers. Even some things they call clamps to torture the dead and decapitated trees. And then what is this place? Obviously this is just another dungeon where toxic masculinity is used to destroy the world.

Hi McGinty I envy your joinery skills I can frame and if you don’t look too closely my interior finishing is not too bad. But, I’ve never been able to do furniture or cabinets.
Then there’s my dad who built wooden boats – no straight lines, right angles or constant radius curves. I can’t even.
I’ve got a bunch of his teak scraps and an idea for a project within my abilities this makes me want to get started.
More please.

Yeah don’t look too close at mine either. 🙂 I have built a few cabinets and they have a few mistakes in them. I have done some remodeling and trim carpentry which I think helped with this and other projects.

Building a boat sounds awesome. They’ve been doing it for thousands of years so how hard can it be?

I was just kidding. Actually it looks more doable after some study than I first thought. You can probably buy the metal frame and then just fit the wood pieces to it. Whever fitted those on that table was a master. It is seamless.